Au Pair in Switzerland: salary, working hours, holidays, etc.

The Au Pair in Switzerland will work a maximum of 30 hours a week. Both parties need to discuss the schedule of activities so everyone can manage their time accordingly. 

 

If the Au Pair needs to work extra hours, the Host Family has to arrange a fair compensation. Participants can convert these hours into extra holiday time later or get an extra payment depending on the agreement of both parties. 

Au Pairs in Switzerland are hired as employees by the family and are paid with the minimum wage of the canton. Therefore, the wage may vary from canton to canton. Please contact the responsible cantonal tripartite commission for information on the exact amount of the wage. The Au Pair has to pay social insurance contributions like other employees in Switzerland. This is one of the most important points of the contract, so make sure to discuss it before arrival. 

In Switzerland, participants have 4 weeks of paid vacation (5 weeks if the participants are under 20 years old). The participant should not be working during their vacation. Sometimes Host Families ask their Au Pair to join them on vacation. In this case, discuss whether both sides will consider it vacation or working hours. This will help both parties to avoid misunderstandings in the future. 

 

In addition to holidays, the participants will also have at least one full day off per week. 

 

Au Pairs in Switzerland will have to take part in a language course during the stay as it’s one of the program requirements. Since there are several languages spoken in Switzerland the participants are free to choose one of the spoken languages in the part of the country where the Host Family lives. 

 

The language course will be partially covered by the Host Family. The participant will pay the remaining part. To ensure that the participant has time to attend the course regularly, both parties need to develop a schedule with daily activities.